good morning. breaking news -- the st. louis airport is closed indefinitely after a reported tornado rips off the roof of the main terminal causing massive damage and injuring several travellers. we'll speak exclusively to one eyewitness and tell you where this dangerous storm is headed. jail t -- lindsay lohan is free on bail after a judge sentences the troubled actress to four months behind bars. that followed a wild day in court over her alleged necklace heist that also brought good news for lohan. six days and counting. with final preparations under way, buckingham palace fist releases the official guest list

to friday's royal wedding. who's on that list? we'll have detailed live from london. today is saturday, april 23, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this rainy saturday morning here in new york. i'm amy robach. >> i'm carl quintanilla in for lester holt getting time off on this holiday weekend. ironically, soaring gas prices are changing holiday plans for a lot of folks. >> high gas prices are averaging nearly $4 a gallon. that's why many americans are saving money and staying off of the road this holiday weekend. unfortunately, as you'll see, things are going to get worse in the weeks and months ahead. we'll tell you about it. >> the upcoming murder trial of casy anthony, jury selection begins in two weeks.

on friday, the judge ruled key pieces of evidence can be used against anthony who's accused of killing her daughter, caylee. what that evidence is and why the defense was fighting to get it thrown out. the so-called hiccup girl. we met her to talk about her condition. things took a troubling turn when she was charged with murdering a young man. i spoke to the victim's mother. and as you'll see, she has plenty of attention to say about t the attention on the woman dubbed the hiccup girl. a shocking surprise. she wanted everyone to believe she was pregnant and walked around school with a baby bump for months. the whole thing was fake. wait until you find out the stunning reason behind her hoax. amazing she pulled that off. >> what an astonishing woman to have at a ability to do that. and for a real reason. and to make a certain point. we're looking forward to that story. but we begin this morning with the destructive storm system that roared through st. louis last night, spawning a

reported tornado that ripped through the city's airport. mike seidel joins us from ferguson, missouri with the latest on all of this. good morning, mike. >> good morning, amy. the cleanup continues this morning here in this township and across the western part of st. louis county. the power company has heavy equipment, bull dozers, bobcats all night trying to get the streets cleared to get in so residents can get back in. some of the damage -- trees down on power lines. the whole area is wout power. this is one of the lucky house where is the tree fell parallel to the house and the house is in good shape. as far as we know, the only injury from what we think was a rain-wrapped twister, it was hard to see, but there was a washout before it hit. one injury cause bid flying glass at the airport. as rain begins to fall, that will be the issue for today and tomorrow. more rain and thunderstorms, but tornado threat has diminished. amy? springtime is tornado time. we've been talking about it more than usual this spring, is that

true? >> it is. april averages ant 150 twisters in the lower 48. we've confirmed over 300, twice the average and a few more days left in april. some of the horrible twisters and the fatalities in last week's outbreak and we've broken the april record. you can add six to what happened last night. and here in the st. louis metro area, they've had twisters on the ground three nights out of the last week. a week ago friday, tuesday night and last night. they're tired of this. but there are more tornados in the forecast, another outbreak that could be a large one coming back to the forecast monday and tuesday. so no rest for the weary as april barrage of tornadoes and destruction continues. amy, back to you. >> mike seidel, thank you. curran hennessey was sitting on a plane waiting for it to take off when the tornado hit. he joins us from the st. louis air airport, good morning. >> good morning, amy. >> we're glad you're safe and sound. i want to talk about your

experience. you were sitting in the back of the plane. tell me what you saw, what you heard? >> well, we just boarded the airplane. we were ready to depart from o'hare. all of a sudden, the rain is starting to pick up. there's severe wind gusting and sheets of rain everywhere and there was evidence, the swirling of the rain and all of a sudden the airplane began to sway significantly. this is unsettling with 100757s swaying back and forth in the wind. and what happened was when the tornado came through, there was all of this debris that was inundating the side of the airplane completely pelting us. what happened was you could feel a change in pressure in your ears. it was -- it was almost you would equate it if it's something you were feeling ascending to 0 to 32,000 feet really quickly. not something you're accustomed to feeling on the ground. it was remarkable. >> the pilot told you you were supposed to be sitting on the

tarmac because the storm was coming through. they were expecting lightning. no one was expecting a tornado. did you realize what was happening? what did you do? did you take cover? >> absolutely. when the debris -- we were completely pelted with all kinds of wood and debris, and at this point, i'd realized that -- i was concerned that we would have debris coming through the window in the airplane. so i ducked for cover. i got down. i was right next to the window and i was concerned that blowing glass or something would be a reality. >> i understand that the wind was so powerful, the plane actually lifted up at one point -- at some point, correct? >> that's correct. the tornado culminated in the airplane going airborne. and what happened was for a moment you could feel the airplane moving under you. and it ultimately became clear that we had moved pretty significantly because when we were evacuated from the airplane, we could see that we had been lifted. we were parked at the gate. we had been lifted from the gate and moved a good 15 to 20 feet

from the gate during this episode. >> wow. and how long did it last? and once it was over, what was the reaction on the plane? >> hard to say how long it lasted. because the event was pretty terrorizing. i would say five to ten seconds. the power on the airplane, the lights flickered and went out. and it -- people onboard were definitely unsettled. surprisingly there was no screaming and i think that's because the initial event people were shocked. but -- >> yes. i'm sure you were in shock. then you were able to get off of the plane, which i understand was an hour later, did you see all of the damage that took place there at the airport terminal? >> yes. when we -- we were on the plane for approximately an hour to an hour and a half while rescue crews came in and devised an evacuation plan. and when we were evacuated from the aircraft, you could see debris everywhere.

i mean, the vehicles that they used to move luggage throughout the airport to the different airplanes were completely overturned and thrown aaround like toy car upside down. debris everywhere. the runway is not close to being useable at this point. >> what a remarkable experience. we're glad everyone was safe on that plane despite that experience. curran hennessey, thank you so much. >> thank you, amy. good to be with you. where is that storm heading now? bill karins is tracking it. good morning, bill. >> everyone wants to know, who's next? if we get tornadoes, they would be isolated in nature, not an outbreak. mostly oklahoma to arkansas. we have other concerns including flash flooding, damaging wind, and hail. flash flooding is going on right now. property damage until southern missouri, northern kentucky, ohio river, along the illinois-indiana border. strong storms rolling just south of the cincinnati region. we're expecting heavy rainfall

amounts. we're going to see an additional as much as 3 to 6 inches for the rest of the weekend. so the flash flooding would be a big concern as we head towards easter sunday. amy? >> bill, thank you. now here's carl. amy, thanks. many americans are staying close to home this holiday weekend. it's not because of the weather, it's because of this. gas prices, the national average is now $3.85 a gallon. and it appears that the costs could go much higher. nbc's kristen welker has the late latest. >> say cheese! >> craig and mary jo bird from charlotte, north carolina usually drive to sarasota, florida to see grandma on easter. but not this year. >> gas prices at $4 a gallon, we decided not to travel an eight or ten-hour trip like we normally would to see family. >> they are not alone. fewer people are visiting popular springtime attractions including mt. ranier, mt. rushmore, yellowstone and the everglades. >> we can't afford to be driving all over with the price of gas

like this. >> the northern branch of triple a said they've seen a 26% increase in drivers calling them for help after they've run out of gas. >> as the prices go up, people may not have as much money in their budget for gas as they used to, so they may be trying to stretch it out. >> reporter: in fact, gas sales have been down for seven straight weeks. >> just the delivery guy. >> reporter: he delivered 9,000 gallons to this shell station. the owner says she may not need it all this weekend. >> we're losing money because the people doesn't buy gas as much as before. >> reporter: but it could be worse -- canadians are actually traveling to the u.s. because our gas is less expensive. >> recently seen a guy with a dually truck with six wheels fill an entire steel tubs of gasoline to bring back up north. >> a global problem that is hitting close to home on a holiday weekend. for today, kristin welker, nbc

news, los angeles. and joining us for more on the gas prices is cnbc's sharon eppers epperson. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> some economists are looking at $6.50 a gallon gasoline. is that even possible? >> that has a lot of what-ifs attached to it. what if we see an increased gasoline demand in the summer months more significant than we normally see at that time of the year. what if we have a major hurricane that hits it gulf of mexico, refineries in that area. what if the dollar continues to weaken. we can see prices skyrocket to those levels. that's what one economist is saying. >> explain to the audience why the weak dollar is important in this. >> oil is price in dollars. when the dollar falls, it becomes less expensive to those investors and consumers to hold other currencies. they're buying more of it. they're doing just that. that's running up the price of oil and other commodities priced in dollars. >> libya makes about 2% of the production.

we don't import that much. but is that an illustration of a supply disruption if something happens in the middle east that can drive up the prices more. >> another factor is fear. fear we're going to see more unrest in oil-producing counts. while we don't import that much from libya, we import a great deal from saudi arabia. the concern is because it's in a close area of the world, we'll see unrest in that area. we have not seen that yet. unrest in nigeria, that's a big oil producer. we have to watch that carefully as they've had presidential elections last weekend and we've seen violence this week. >> on thursday, the president assembled a task force to look at the idea of price gouging in this country. how much is that going on? >> everybody wants to blame speculators. that's the word used so often. there are investigations in what's happening in the oil market and driving up prices. these same factors drive up stock prices and other commodities. the fact is there are many financial interests in

investment firms that are now investing in oil just like they are stocks and bonds. and a lot of individual investors want to be in oil and other commodities too. that's helping to drive up the price. that is something that people do need to know more about. >> sharon epperson, thanks so much. >> certainly. >> now amy. carl, thank you. i heard you referencing this. overseas, the fight for libya continues to raise this morning. at the same time, the violent protests in libya left scores dead. richard engle is covering both fronts for us and joins us live from benghazi, libya. richard, good morning. >> good morning, amy. for the last several weeks, we've been talking about the dire situation in the city of misrata. it's surrounded by gadhafi forces. it's been relentlessly attacked. it appears that the rebels in that city have made significant progress, witnesses and rebels say the rebel fighters have been able to push gadhafi's troops out of the center of misrata.

it's intensified nato air strikes over the last several days. also, for the first time, the use of american predator drones. it appears that combination, the predator drones and the nato air strikes have given the rebels in the city of misrata a very important advantage. the question now, will they be able to hold the city or will gadhafi's troops go back in. >> richard, let me ask you about syria. violent protests continue there. where is the government in terms of losing total control? there's concern it's on the brink. >> it could be on the brink. analysts i've spoken to this morning think unless this government acts quickly, might not survive more than a few months. today, there were more protests as people came out to bury the dozens killed in demonstrations yesterday. thousands of people went out on to the streets yesterday asking for more democratic freedoms,

more ability to organize politically. instead, they were met with tear gas and live ammunition fire. and if this doesn't change yet, a lot of analysts believe that the syrian government and the syrian regime could be at a turning point. >> richard engle, live from libya, thank you. i want to get a want to check on this morning's other top stories. let's head over to the news desk and jeff rossen. >> good to see you. good morning everyone. we begin with new developments in the case of a missing teenager from north carolina, a story we first brought you here on "weekend today." this week police discovered her body. phylicia barnes was found laying in a river in maryland with no apparent signs of trauma. the 16-year-old girl went missing in december while visiting relatives in baltimore. a man's body was also found in the same river and police are trying to figure out if there is a connection. this morning the fbi is releasing surveillance pictures, these surveillance pictures, of a possible suspect accused of

planting a a pipe bomb and propane tanks inside a colorado mall. authorities say this man was riding a public bus away from the southwest plaza mall and there may be a columbine connection. this latest case happened on the exact 12th anniversary of the columbine massacre. the school is just one mile away. good news this morning for general motors, set to reclaim the title of the world's biggest automaker. right now toyota holds the title but recent recalls and of course the earthquake in japan have hurt the company sales. general motors, which held the number one spot from 1932 until 2008, says sales are up especially in china and the u.s. privacy watch dogs are still demanding answers from apple about why iphones and ipads are secretly tracking their users. researchers who uncovered the glitch say information is stored in a way that makes it quite easy for hackers to get to it. so far, no comment from apple.

and the historic day for pope benedict on friday. a prerecorded program was broadcast on italian tv and the pope actually answered questions from catholics. the first was from a japanese girl who said she was scared because of what happened to her country and asked the pope why people suffer. in total, seven people were chosen out of the thousands who submitted questions. finally this morning, if laughter is contagious, get ready. turns out cookie the penguin is ticklish. listen to this. this youtube video has gone viral. you can see why. somebody at the cincinnati zoo is tickling cookie and i'm not sure what a penguin laughing sounds like but apparently this is it. the video got 600,000 hits in one day. sounds a lot like our crew after the breakfast buffet. an hour ago. see? they're doing it again. that's news. >> adorable.

and the flippers, too. >> jeff, thanks so much. >> we're back with a check of our forecast. hopefully nothing as dramatic -- >> april is my favorite month for weather. i think i need to choose a new month. flooding, rains, texas fires, one thing after another. last night with all the severe storms in the heartland and now we're dealing with flash flooding and also going to be watching just a miserable saturday in areas of new england and all through areas even new york city, just not a pretty saturday. we'll try to get things improved good saturday morning to you, we're waking up to 40s and 50s outside, we also have some clouds around there too, maybe some isolated light rain showers, most of the action just off to north and yes, some snow in the sierra this weekend above 6,500 feet. so today we're looking at highs in the low 60s, a slight chance of a few showers as we head through the day and also

tomorrow. cool weekend, including easter sunday and then temperatures climb on tuesday and wednesday, closer to 70 early next week. thank you. this morning our countdown to the royal wedding continues and would you believe we're just six days away and the preparations are in full gear as you might imagine. our natalie morales is live in london with the very latest on the big day. good morning, natalie. >> and good morning to you. with just six days to go though this is a long holiday weekend it is no holiday for those involved with planning the weekend of the century. there is still lots of work to be done to make sure everything here lives up to that fairy tale. the bunting is up. the flags have been raised. with just one week to go, the finishing touches are all around as london gets ready for the big day and the eyes of the world. at buckingham palace they're sharpening the knives. >> the tension will ramp up. >> reporter: and polishing the family silver. >> double checking, trinh ining

checking. >> reporter: the westminister boys choir is having its final rehearsal with its young members being told not to eat chocolate or drink soda to save their voices. the household staff is hard at work buffing and shining and those guards with the bear skin hats are rehearsing their steps and making sure uniforms are ship shape. >> there's only one standard required for any state ceremony or occasion and that's excellence and so we strive to achieve that and we are working very hard, very determined to do the job properly on the day. >> reporter: security is of course a major concern and the metropolitan police and scotland yard are taking no chances as they launch one of the biggest security operations in their history monitoring possible threats from the ground and from the air. >> they must remember it's a day of national celebration. if we see anybody engaging in criminal behavior we will act quickly and decisively to deal

with it. >> reporter: the man who will marry william and kate next friday, the archbishop of canterbury is sharing his thoughts on the happy couple. >> i've been very struck by the way william and katherine have approached this great event. they've thought through what they want for themselves and also what they will say. >> reporter: what kate won't say reportedly is the word "obey" when she takes her wedding vows followed following the example set by princess diana. instead she will vow to honor, love, and keep prince william. the princess bride is not withering under the strain. seen around town shopping perhaps for her honeymoon trousseau. most in london are excited about what will be a day of celebration and joy. >> i'm excited about the royal wedding. i think it will be pretty good. >> reporter: even mother nature is putting on a great show with record highs and not a drop of that famous london drizzle in sight.

and new details to report this morning that apparently prince william is putting in a request for a tour of duty in afghanistan and that apparently marriage will not change his mind. he's been frustrated in the past that his brother prince harry was able to serve in afghanistan back in 2008 but he was never allowed to go. >> all right. natalie, the big news, the palace has released more names on the guest list. any surprises there? >> well, i think certainly the names you might expect, the celebrity guests, elton john, the beckhams obviously, guy ritchie now included among that list. we're also hearing of course the engagement photographer is going to be there as a guest, and then i think what's very interesting is that apparently some british afghan war veterans who served in afghanistan but also served apparently in the household cavalry will be among the 1900

guests as well. >> 1900 guests. thank you. we're having weather envy. it looks beautiful in london. we'll see you later. >> pretty hot. >> hot. okay. pretty rainy and cold here. we're back but first this is "today" on nbc. hey! you want that? you want a warm, super-delicious strawberry toaster strudel yeah but now i have nothing to eat sure you do. hey!

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still to come a teen tells why she faked prntna usplur> ont fo mhseh b ndirsba san.ly tst mrge hesaess.ge

you're looking live at hp pavilion in san jose bay. rob, it's going to be a little drizzly this weekend. >> it's going to be great sunshine. we have got clouds all around the bay area right now. and our temperatures mostly in the 40s to low 50s, kind of a mild start right now. we'll show you the cloud cover and some light rain on the radar. keep in mind, if you're going to head to lake tahoe, we're going to see some snow today at about 6,500 feet. 50 to get your morning started

around breakfast time. around lunchtime, we'll see temperatures in the low 60s and that's just the way the day is going to end out, maybe a few sunny breaks at times and some of that hair spray rain, some heavy drizzle at times and some light rain showers off and on today and again tomorrow. not a washout weekend, just a cool one, we'll see these hit-and-miss showers from time to time. pattern holding up until about monday, then by tuesday and wednesday, that's when it may start to feel a little bit more like spring. temperatures getting back into the second half for spring. for now a little cooler, jacket weather. this morning a family will lay its son to rest despite the controversy and speculation surrounding his violent death. the body of 16-year-old andy zang was found shot and doused with gasoline inside his home. a 15-year-old told police the shooting was an accident.

but others including zang's father are skeptical. the principal at zang's school say students are looking for answers to find a sense of closure. >> we have taken down all the posters for andy and all the family just to give the students some kind of closure to move on. >> zang's san francisco classmates and students at other nearby schools have started a collection to raise money to cover the funeral costs. so far they have raised about $3,000. this morning family and friends of brian stow are holding on to hope despite some news -- they're finding seizures in his brain. stow was wearing giants gear when he was attacked by two men in the parking lot outside of dodger's stadium on opening day. police are still looking for

suspects. and also this morning state investigators are trying to find out how a winemaker fell to his death into a tank of wine. cal osha is looking into the death of the man who died at ancien wines. a winery spokesman says he died while transferring wine from a small tank to a larger one. we'll have another local news update in about half an hour. a lot of people are

talking about this morning. a teenager in washington state said she was pregnant and had a baby bump for 6.5 months. but as it turns out, it was a hoax and very few people knew the truth. why did she do it? that story coming up too. >> the royal wedding. six days to go for an event that will be watched by billions around the world. and this morning, a fascinating take on the wedding from the ultimate royal insider. we're going to find out how he gets his great scoops from buckingham palace and beyond. >> talks a lot about his sources. he's got to get his sources to trust him that he's not going to -- >> he doesn't tell the source's name, right. >> that's the key. >> but first, the disturbing story of the hiccup girl. her name is jennifer mehan. we met her four years ago to discuss her condition. this year, she was back in the news charged with murdering shenon griffin. i spoke to the mother. and as she said, she's suffering

in silence. >> why would you want to do that to such a good kid that never harmed anyone. he was a good kid, a trusting kid. he never would have expected anything like that. >> it was last october when police say 22-year-old shenon griffin went to meet a girl and instead was shot multiple times and kill in a robbery gone wrong. >> allegation is murder in the first degree. >> police charged 19-year-old jennifer along with her boyfriend, lamont newton, and his friend, lamont ray ford, with first degree murder. mee is now in a florida jail awaiting trial. >> 15-year-old jennifer mee. >> a much different scene than four years ago when she appeared on "today" and gained worldwide attention with a chronic case of hiccups. after the police arrested and charged mee with the murder, news spread quickly and publicly. >> when did you first hear that something had happened? >> i was at home. it was sunday afternoon. and my aunt called me.

and so she said, i had some bad news. and she was like, it's shenon. and i'm like, what about shenon. and she was like, he was shot and killed. and my heart just sunk. >> it was on the news before i even heard about it. they didn't give out his name, but the information that, you know, that the hiccup girl, shot and killed was on the news before i even knew about it. >> jennifer first told police she had nothing to do with his murder. then later that night, changed her story and admitted she had lured shenon to the scene so her boyfriend and friends could rob him. she now recants that story. i sat down with jennifer for a jailhouse interview earlier this month. why would you implicate yourself in a murder? >> i just -- i don't know. it's hard. it's hard to explain. i did -- i made a mistake.

i thought since i was quote/unquote famous so young, nothing would happen to me. so i went with the story that i thought i wouldn't get in trouble with. but, you know, in all reality, it's put me behind bars and been here five months and i could be facing life. >> he thought he was going on a date. >> i asked jennifer if she could speak to shenon's family, especially his cousin that spoke in her bond hearing what she would say? >> i would say that i'm sorry for the loss of his cousin and that i wish everything would have been different than what it all worked out to be. he didn't deserve it. he didn't. he didn't deserve to go. he did not. >> she's right. he didn't deserve it. he really didn't. i mean, i don't want an apology, i want justice.

for my son's life. i'm not saying i want the death penalty for her or anything like that. but i don't think she should get out. she's responsible for my child's life. which is no longer here. >> shawna is working with a grief counselor to work with her loss. >> the whole grieving process is two steps forward, one step back. initially you're in shock. that wears off. that's when the pain comes in. >> you're thinking about all of the things that you probably wants to do and say? >> yeah. every day. on a daily basis. and i can't get that back. >> is it something that you wish you could say to him now? that he is listening? >> i wish i could tell him i loved him very much. he was very much loved by me. and no matter how far apart we

were, i loved him. >> you were proud of him. >> not a day goes by that i don't think about that. i was proud of him. everything that he decided to do. >> and it's tough because not only is she dealing with the loss of her son, it's just been six months, but then se says to see the story in the news and the focus be about the person accused of killing her son is -- it's a double whammy. so she wanted a voice to talk about her son. and we wanted to give her that opportunity because it's unimaginable to lose a child and then have it be so public. >> your question to jennifer is just the right one -- why would you implicate yourself? and her answer is hard to swallow. it's hard. >> it is. she has two more years before it goes to trial which will be another opportunity for her to speak and unfortunately for shannen's mother to go through it again. >> incredible story. switch gears here. bill is out on the plaza. a rainy plaza.

>> miserable morning, dreary at that. many areas have nasty weather to deal with. let's talk about your forecast, get easterner there too. storms possible today in the areas of red. heavy rain all the way up to new england. middle of the country, in the northern plains, it's chilly. it will be dry there. that will be the problem spot. easter sunday let's take a look at the clouds and you can see a bay area a few breaks in the clouds. you can see the moisture off to north which is tossing some snow showers across the sierra, if you have plans for the high country this weekend. treat it a bit like a winter weekend across the high country. for the bay area, we're going to see clouds at times, a chance for a few showers today, highs of low 60s, same story for your easter weekend. a warmup tuesday into wednesday. layer. always amazed how many people come out here every single morning even in weather like this. this is the boys and girls' club

from waterville, maine, 100 in total in the plaza this morning. back to you, guys. >> brave souls out there, bill, thank you. coming up next, a step back for casey anthony. what a new ruling means for the accused killer. >> plus, glory days, a road trip for the world war ii vets. but first, these messages. or 23 yards. - hey. he went to jared. - that's a peerless diamond, the ideal ideal-cut diamond. female announcer: jared has thousands of loose diamonds and hundreds of settings to create your own one-of-a-kind ring. - you crying? - no. now you can brew over ice for delicious iced coffee or tea. hot or cold, keurig is the way to brew everyone's favorite cup in under a minute. choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] introducing purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. developed with dermatologists...

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state where a straight-a student who everyone thought was expecting a baby shocked classmates and teachers by saying the pregnancy was fake. and part of a class project. it was last fall, 17-year-old gabby rodriguez surprised her teachers and classmates at a high school in washington with news she was expecting. for six months, she came to school sporting a baby bump. but her mother, boyfriend, and principal knew the truth. the bump was nothing more than stuffing bundled together with wire. she was trying to make a point. >> there's stereotypes and rumors. and i just want to break that and kind of just set them free. >> this wednesday, gabby came clean at a school assembly she told everyone her pregnancy was a fake, an elaborate experiment to see what life is really like for a pregnant teen. she kept notes on things that people said about her. >> it was bound to happen that i was irresponsible.

that i wasn't going to continue school. >> i'm graduating early and moving in with ryan because -- i'm pregnant. >> gabby's experiment runs counter to a culture of reality tv shows like mtv's 16 and pregnant and "teen mom," those shows have been criticized for making teen pregnancy look glamorous. >> it seems to be glorified that it's okay to be a teen, to be pregnant, to be single, and that there are a lot of adventures that go along with it. >> i want this dress -- >> for many, the shows are a fantasy. >> oh, pretty. >> gabby's little experiment may be a little more realistic, which is why her principal allowed it in the first place. >> i don't know if one presentation will change the way people think long term, but it gets the ball rolling. >> joining us now with more insight is psychotherapist stacy kaiser author of "how to be a grown-up -- the ten secret

skills everyone needs to know." good morning to you. >> good morning. >> we have an honor student that fakes a pregnancy, she gets teased. there are rumors about her around the school. is it a good idea? >> i have to give her a piece of credit. not a lot of school teenagers can pull off getting their principal and mother onboard and their boyfriend for a project. i don't think it was a good idea. i don't think it was well thought out. there were a lot of people who could have been emotionally or psychologically upset by this. the boy's parents were not told it was a fake pregnancy. they were walking around for six months thinking their teenage son was about to have a baby. >> if the goal was to expose the stereotypes with how teen moms are treated in high school. did this accomplish anything? >> i don't think it accomplished anything. i mean, she proved what we are already all seeing that people tease people, people are hard on people. >> i wonder if in some ways it backfired and glorified teen pregnancy and some teens said

she appears to be handling it okay. she's staying in school. her life is not coming to an end. maybe it's not a bad idea if i get pregnant. >> part of what's happening is she wasn't really pregnant. she wasn't experiencing all of the things that a pregnant person would be experiencing. she got to go home, take off the baby bump, and go about her business. and i'm worried that other teenagers are going to want to try to copy her and do things like that to get attention. >> what about the kids who got duped at school. what kind of reaction would you expect them to have at this point. >> one of the things we see at teenagers is they are judgmental of one another. and usually teenagers want them to be pleased by them and like their behavior. i'm worried this girl may lose some friends. she was lying to people she was close to for six months. >> long-term lie. finally, the principal says i applaud her commitment to this goal. i applaud her boldness. but no way i would let my daughter do it. we talked offset. i think we both feel the same way. >> absolutely.

i have a teenage daughter. if she came to me with that idea, there's no way i'd want her to do it. it's emotionally risky. she could have been ostracized, bullied. difficult situations. it's not something i would want my daughter to go through. >> we talk about it but at some cost. up next, hero's journey, world war ii veterans take a trip of the lifetime. that's after these messages. [ playing "taps" ] [ female announcer ] when allergies make your eyes itch,

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>> yea! >> marines, army infantry men and gunners. even a few women who served known as waves in west. for the crowd, one name for them, heros. >> i couldn't imagine anything like this before. it was a greater welcome than i got back when i came back from europe. >> private parnell, you have not changed a bet. >> it's been a lifetime since they flew over the target, stormed the beaches, and won the big one. >> hello my world war ii warriors. >> hello. >> but it all comes flooding back on the bus with an old-fashioned mail call. >> mail call can get them up. >> tech patterson. >> some of these letters bring tears to a glass eye. >> it's taught me never let them see you sweat. but i'm sweating right now. >> at the only national monument erected in their honor, they remember friends who didn't make it home, 400,000 die in the war.

[ playing "taps" ] >> oho lynn pickens was a pow fr two years. >> they told us they were killed or captured. i found out 75 of our men got killed. >> bill was a tail runner on the green hornet. he said his crew were as close as brothers. >> i accept this honor. >> parnell was a member of the 173rd military police. >> thinking about what the world lost. >> they are overwhelmed by the gratitude of fellow americans. >> i'm just so taken back with the people who have come up to you and thank you for your service and i don't feel like i did that much. i just -- i just feel like it was my duty and i was proud to do it. >> the vet trips are completely paid for and arranged by the senior wish nonprofit, "forever

young." >> it's a time of healing for these men and women. they are dying 1,000 a day. we are just working so hard to honor them while they're still here. >> bobbie landon was a medic at a fleet hospital in hawaii. >> i think about the boys -- it's so sad. but so many of them was good and so many of them were brave. and you know something? they always had a sense of humor. >> humble heroes, bearing witness to the finite proof that the legacy will not be forgotten. >> as bad as it was, i was there. we were doing it again to save our freedom. and the foundation says they really are in a race against time. of the 16 million who served, less than 2 million are still living and about 800 world war ii vets die each day. you can see the impact of what that ill grimmage has on them to reflect and remember.

we should all remember. >> oh they're called the great estrogen ration for a reason. is it just me, or do they look fantastic for being in their mid 80s? >> we could all be so lucky. >> iffing on. >> we'll be back. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ [ woman ] sam begged and pleaded... so i sent him to camp. we'd earned lots of points with our new citi thankyou card... and i put them to good use. he told me about his bunkmates, and how he signs up for every activity. ♪ he even hangs out with the camp director. just like that. [ male announcer ] the new citi thankyou premier card gives you more ways to earn points. what's your story? citi can help you write it.

still to come on "today," on the hunt for a serial killer. we'll have the latest as the search on long island resumes. from a courtroom to a jail cell for lindsay lohan. but first, these messages.

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you're looking live at san francisco, that twinkling light is the bay, it's going to be a nice weekend, except for a little bit of drizzle outside. >> we have got some clouds and a little bit of light rain, especially along the coast. as we take you to the future cast, as we take you down through your easter afternoon. as we roll into monday morning, this is going to be the wettest part of the weekend as we head

into monday afternoon. for today, we have got some clouds to start, we'll see likely a few showers out there today, and cool temperatures, highs in the low 60s for most of the bay area, 50s along the coastline, 60 in san francisco and close to 62 in santa rosa. kind of a mixed bag. a few light rain showers and then as we head towards tuesday and wednesday. closer to 70 as you approach the middle parts of the new week. >> put the kids in rubber boots for the easter egg hunt? in the south bay, was it a freak accidents or is someone at fault? the family of a san jose toddler crushed by a tree says the city is partially to blame for his tragic death. the ten-ton tree came down on the family's truck trapping the mother, father and little boy inside last january. the weight rested on 2-year-old mateo ortiz making it impossible

for him to breathe. the tree had been suffering from extreme roof rot for years with a number of neighbors complaining going back to 1996. >> the family are of the opinion that no citizen should go through the sorrow and the grief that they have had to undergo these last two years because of the loss of their son. >> the injunction would reverse a 2008 ordinance that requires home owners to look after the trees on public streets in front of their homes. many people will be hopping into their cars this weekend to hit the road for the holiday weekend. nbc bay area reporter has an update on one stretch of highway you won't be able to take. >> drivers in the south bay, you're aware of the improvement project here on the 101.

over the weekend, highway 101 is going to be closed overnight between 286, to capitol expressway. you use that capitol expressway connection. if you go 280, you go to mclaughlin, the opposite routes apply. this is going on overnight into the weekend and this is scheduled to be completely cleared by your monday morning commute. we'll have another local news update in about a half an 2011.

a rainy, gloomy day here in new york. you know what? look how many people came out on the plaza. it's pretty remarkable. look, standing in the rain. on the plaza amy robach along with carl quintanilla. i can see my breath. >> a little chilly. >> carl is filling in for lester while he takes some time off. nice to have you. >> nice to be here. >> lindsay lohan is back in jail, now out of jail. >> friday not a good day for the

actress. she went to court a free woman. left in handcuffs. back to jail. what happened? we have the details from los angeles and we'll get those to you in a moment. also coming up, watching the royals and looking at london and seeing how nice and sunny it is there now. >> what is wrong with the picture. >> we're counting things down to the wedding of the decade. the scoop of what goes on inside buckingham palace. and from a royal insider who this morning is revealing his secret. the prize fight in reality television, from the name calling to the hair pulling, these women take no prisoners. it's -- [ bleep ]. -- it's high drama that gets our attention. but at what cost? a closer look at that coming up. >> you never act like that. >> no. maybe with my brother, maybe, that was it. when i was younger. a lot to get through this morning. but first, a check inside the morning's top stories. jeff robbins is at the newsdesk. jeff, nice and dry over there. >> not sure how to cover those fights. we'll try. good morning.

we're going to begin with an apparent tornado in st. louis. it tore through the airport there sending passengers running. mike seidel in ferguson, missouri for us this morning. mike, good to see you. >> hey, good morning, jeff. and here in this summer -- look at the damage here. the trees are everywhere. this one is fallen, two have fallen in the back of the brick home. they've lost their gutter. another huge hard wood from the back of this home that has taken out the roof of another house in this neighborhood. trees down as far as i can see. the power is out. before the tornado hit this is neighborhood, it hits the nearby airport first. >> the tornado culminated in the airplane actually going airborne. what happened for a moment is you could feel the airplane moving under you. and it ultimately became clear that we had moved pretty significantly. >> and we have set a record now for april. over 300 confirmed tornadoes, jeff. the previous record, 272. twice the typical average.

and more severe weather on the docket for monday and tuesday. going to be a big outbreak and more tornadoes potentially in the metro st. louis area. they've had twisters three out of the past eight nights. back to you. >> mike seidel of the weather channel. the neighbors are coming out for a long day of cleanup. thanks. human rights groups in syria are calling for an investigation to the shooting of protesters. nearly 80 people died in protests that escalated on friday. the pro democracy celebrations the largest so far calling for regime change. police in long island are back on the beach today trying to catch a possible serial killer. friday they made more grim discoveries. here's nbc's ron allen. >> reporter: investigators returned to the thick dense brush along the beach road where they'd already found a human skull and made yet another grim discovery. >> today an additional discovery of two teeth, as a matter of fact. >> teeth believed to be from the

skull. the human remains found about an hour's drive from new york city last december. only four identified so far, all prostitutes who advertised on craigslist. the most significant clue? each was reportedly wrap in a burlap bag. >> burlap bags are something people don't use to keep around the house. that's got to be a reason to have them and he had them on four different occasions. >> reporter: criminal profilers suspect the killer is probably a man, between 25 and 45, mote fated by sexual pleasure. and like his victims white. >> the fact that he likes the dumping ground where he's leaving the body means to me he's familiar with the area. >> reporter: police say there's no suspect and have warned this gruesome complicated case won't be solved quickly like a crime story on tv. ron allen, nbc news, new york. this morning, a british tourist is being hailed a hero after catching a toddler falling from a hotel balcony while on vacation in orlando. helen beard said she heard a scream and saw a baby dangling

from the fourth floor of this hotel. she quickly moved herself below, caught the 16-month-old jana miles as she fell. authorities say the little girl slipped through the railing of the balcony while she was being watched by a family friend. they say anything can happen in just seconds and there's proof. finally, good news -- the puppy cam is back. and cuter than ever. look at these little pups born last week. their mom kika became an internet sensation, you may remember, back in 2008 with another litter. breeders say this will be her third and final batch of pups. so, puppy cam goes into reruns. carl, back out on the plaza. hope you're staying dry out there. >> i'll adopt one if you adopt one, jeff. >> done. >> okay. bill karins is here on the plaza with the brave souls in the rain. they want to know how long it will last, bill. >> way too long. it's their 10th birthday spreading out all throughout the year. they're all 10. >> little miss awesome.

>> little miss blondy. >> little miss chatter box. >> little miss sunshine. >> you're all little miss wet this morning. flash flooding out there in many spots. 're areas in maroons whereoo e wweching dangerous flooding. heavy rain continues across kentucky. look by tulsa, more big storms will roll over the same areas that are flooded. lit be a miserable time of flooding right throu and you can see across the bay area right now, we have actually a few breaks in the clouds, we may get a little bit of sunshine at times, but still this moisture coming in off the pacific, we'll still have a chance at light rain showers at times today. especially areas north of san francisco, we're expecting cool temperatures through saturday and more or less the same temperatures as we roll into your of the easter sunday forecast as well. with a mix of sun and clouds and things get a bit warmer on tuesday and wednesday of the new week. back to you, amy.

all right, bill. thank you. we begin with the bad news for lindsay lohan who's free on bail this morning after being ordered back to jail yet again. here's nbc's lee cowen. >> reporter: it's become an odd, almost predictable routine -- lindsay lohan arrives in court only to leave shortly thereafter in handcuffs. which in turn ends with her being set free on bail. >> she's been very cooperative. she always is. she's cooperative. >> reporter: it all happened again friday when for a fourth time, lohan was sentenced to jail time, 120 days, plus nearly 500 hours of community service. all for violating her parole. however? by being accused of stealing this necklace, one she was photographed wearing after it went missing from a jewelry store. guilty or not, just the hint of a crime is enough to set the judge off. >> i believe she sent a message saying i think you're guilty. >> surveillance tape shows lohan

in a venice jewelry store in january trying on various items and then walking out, apparently still wearing the necklace the store valued at $2500. >> we've begun to get her out. >> lohan and her long-time attorney insists it was an honest mistake. not a crime. >> even though lindsay's attorney tried to persuade the judge it was a big misunderstanding, the judge was not persuaded, was very skeptical. >> at friday's hearing, testimony for both the jewelry store owner as well as lapd detectives convinced the judge that there was enough evidence to send lindsay to trial for theft. but here's where it gets sticky. instead of the felony charge prosecutors had hoped for, the judge reduced the charge to just a misdemeanor. >> some people will say it's the celebrity justice at work. because once again, the legal system cuts a big break for lindsay lohan. >> and to some extent, the district attorney agreed. >> she's not taking this seriously. and i tried to impart that to four judges. and obviously they feel a

different way. >> lohan's trial date is set for june 3. in the meantime, she'll have those 480 hours of community service to contend with, which the judge ordered she serve at a women's shelter and a morgue. for today, lee cowen, nbc news, los angeles. and so the saga goes on for lindsay. paul cowen is a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor. good morning. >> good morning. >> we'll start with the good news for lindsay and that the judge did take her felony charge down to a misdemeanor. how big of a break was that for her, given her history, especially. >> it's very, very good news. because if this were prosecuted as a felony, she was facing as much as three years in prison. this now reduces it to a misdemeanor, which means it maximum jail sentence is one year. and reality, people rarely do as much as one year on a misdemeanor case. so on lindsay lohan's case, who knows? she could be facing jail on the misdemeanor charge. it was a break for her.

>> given what the prosecutor presented, the judge said it was enough to show that lindsay violated her parole. is the judge sending a message about lindsay's guilt or innocence here? >> well, the judge is. and i -- there's a lot of messages being sent here, amy. and i have to say, it's a confusing situation. because there are two things going on. the judge, number one, was looking at the theft case. and saying, well, i think that necklace is worth less than $1,000. so it's really a misdemeanor case, it's not a felony case. but the judge is also saying, when i look at the evidence in that case, it's clear to me that she probably did steal the necklace. and she therefore violated her probation and her parole from the prior dui case that she was out on. and that's why the judge ultimately put her in jail because of the violation of parole. >> 120 days in jail. and then also fairly significant amounts of community service. does that punishment fit the crime? >> i think under the circumstances, it does.

she's got a record of at least two prior convictions with the dui problems. and there's a bigger thing going on here i think we have to be conscious of. the judge commented on her disrespect for the court, her flouting of authority. she showed up in court with fu put on her fingernails. and the other thing i just have to throw into the pot here is, and maybe advice to her agent -- if your client is up on criminal charges, maybe not a good idea to get her a part or try to get her a part as a member of a the ga gambino crime family. trying to get a part playing a member of the gambinos. you know by the way, john gotti who she was at the press conference with is a convicted felon. you usually go to prison. >> maybe she's studying up for her role, you never know. >> going to get a lot of experience in prison if she keeps behaving this way. and reacting this way in court -- very, very foolish of her. she probably would not have gone

to prison had she treated the court and the system with respect. >> all right, paul cowen, thank you very much. we appreciate it. still to come, the secrets of the royal familiy, our insidr helps reveal them to us. lose those lines for up to a year!

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great ride down. if you have high cholesterol, you may be at increased risk of heart attack and stroke. don't kid yourself. talk to your doctor about your risk and about lipitor. this is stacy. who runs circles around asthma. and dan. he never lets high cholesterol get him too low. and amy with her arthritis well in hand. they go to walgreens... where their pharmacist not only refills prescriptions but gives advice... immunizations... and health tests. staying on top of your health starts right in your neighborhood. walgreens. there's a way to stay well. we're always talking about the upcoming royal wedding. we're hearing the term "royal watcher" used a lot. but what, or rather who, exactly, are the royal watchers?

natalie morales joins us from london again with more. natalie, good morning. reporting on the royal family has been a competitive business here. but the upcoming wedding of william and kate has upped the ante so to speak. so we decided to ask one correspondent who's been on the forefront of reporting on the royal family in the last two decades to give us the royal scoop on his job. robert johnson is considered by many to be king of his world. >> good morning to you. are you going towards buckingham palace. the world of royal reporting, that is. >> i phoned that woman and left several messages for her. >> the 47-year-old has been keeping tabs on the british monarchy for 47 years, but don't call him a royal watcher. >> it sounds like a royal stalker. but it's a royal correspondent, royal journalist, you have a specific role to cover the events of the royal family. >> he's had plenty of dealings

with the royal family over the years, both on the record and off -- like when he first met princess diana, shall we say, unofficially. >> i was at a hotel in the sports area. and diana walked in. i thought, this is embarrassing. i'll go stay in the sauna out of the way, keep my head down. next thing i know, she strolled in to the sauna with a towel on and gave me a shy guy look. it was all embarrassing. >> reporting on the royal family is a competitive business. he spends a great deal of his time at what he calls his home away from home, buckingham palace. >> no point in being stuck? an office on the other side of london. this is where it happens. >> not far away is st. james palace, a hot spot on the royal beat. >> this is where it takes place, the real action takes place. >> for jobson, a typical day includes combing the newspapers and websites. and most importantly, working his contacts the old-fashioned

way. >> yes, i'm on the mobile phone. i talk a lot on the mobile phone. but when it's really important conversation, i always do it face-to-face. >> it's here at london's exclusive members only in and out club where the face-to-face meetings often take place. >> it's sort of my own personal office. it's a private members club and i have to sign people in who are meeting me. sometimes anonymously. this particular room is a great room for me because i know that it's a very private and quiet room where i can meet people and discuss things completely confidentially. that's really very important if you're a royal correspondent. to make sure that you protect your sources. >> if keeping his sources confidential, that won jobson the scoop of the year award back in 2005 for his world exclusive. >> i remember i got a call to tell me that charles was to marry camilla. i broke that story before anybody knew about it. before the queen told the prime

minister. so that was the level of the source. and in many ways, that put me on the map. >> jobson is clearly found the secret to being a successful royal reporter. in addition to covering the royals, he also likes to dish about them. >> from authoring books to lecturing to offering up commentary right here on nbc. >> it's been quite accurate speculation. i wrote two weeks ago that they would be engaged before chrys malice. >> and while all eyes will be on friday's wedding of prince william and kate middleton, this king of royal correspondents will be on the lookout for the next big scoop. >> i think it's great. it's a great story. yeah. brilliant story. with me right now is robert johnson, the godfather of royal reporter. >> not sure i'm james gandolfini or marlon brando. >> whatever it is. it sounds like a great title. the scoop now just six days to

go. what are william and kate doing right now? >> william and kate are putting all of the final touches on this wedding. she's very much in charge of it. they're staying at clarence house where i'm sure she's getting extremely nervous. they're looking at the vows and all of the things to go with the royal wedding. >> what about the report that prince william is reportedly asking for a tour of duty in afghanistan. we know that has not gone over well with the palace in the past. do you think there's a chance? >> prince william has been keen to do this for so long. and, of course, prince harry served in afghanistan, wore the service medal all the time. it's difficult. he's the direct heir to the throat. therefore it's a problem for him to serve in a war zone. >> how important is this welding to the british monarchy? >> hugely important, actually. because these two people are the royal faces of the facebook generation. they're the ones that are going to connect with the new generation. hugely important for grand britain and the popularity of the monarchy. >> you offered several books on

the royal family. and kate and william's beloved story. this is much more than just a love match, though. this is a young lady that the new princess-bride soon to be that had to do a lot of work. >> she's had to do a lot of work. very much, she's following on from princess diana. the icon of the last century. it will be difficult for her. she's a commoner bride. her ancestors were coal miners. it's a different time, a different era for the monarchy. she's a beautiful girl and everybody is mad for her. >> everybody is making comparisons to diana on her wedding day. is that something the palace is not looking forward to? >> they're trying to play down any similarity with diana which is fair enough. they don't want that to be the big comparison. i think they're going to go as a team -- charles and diana always seemed to be at war. william and kate, they're considered as a team. the unifying force. >> how about babies.

>> 2012 could be a big year. between monday juneley, the olympics, maybe a royal baby as well. >> we hope so. great job with your reporting. we look forward to all of your coverage coming this weekend. robert dobson is going to be key to us here. carl, back to you. >> thanks so much. speaking of which, the live coverage of the royal welding begb -- wedding begins friday at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. back

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live at the transamerica building in san francisco. actually a great view, but rob says that's goi little bit as some drizzle comes in. good morning, thanks so much for joining us. we got details on our easter forecast. we have some gray skies and you notice what's happening offshore, we have low clouds out there, but a few breaks in the high clouds too. but we're going to manage a few breaks this weekend. but with this moisture flow coming off the pacific, we're going to see some drizzle and light rain showers from time to

time. mainly 50s outside, then around 2:00 or 3:00 this afternoon for the south bay at least, we should climb into the mid 60s before cooling down quickly approaching this evening. for your weekend forecast, variable clouds at times. widely scattered showers, high probability for showers north of san francisco. some 70s finally come back. >> thank you so much, rob. well this morning, a family will lay its son to rest in peace as controversy and speculation surround his violent death. the body of the boy was found shot and doused with gasoline. others including zang's father are septemberable. -- the principal at zang school

school are looking for answers. >> we ha . >> zang's classmates and students at other nearby schools in san francisco have raised money to cover the funeral costs, they have raised about 3,000 so far. this morning family and friends of brian stow are holding on to hope despite some less than encouraging news about his condition. stow's doctors are seeing new seizures in his brain. they're now increasing seizure control medicine, but that will delay an attempt to bring stow out of his medical induced coma. he was wearing giants gear when he was beaten. state's investigators are trying to find out why a winemaker fell into his deathre

after falling into a tank of wine. gustavo monroe died after falling into a tank of wine. he died while transporting wine in a small tank to a larger one. we will have another local

we're back on this saturday morning, april 23, 2011. it is a wet, spring day here in new york. but the weather clearly not stopping these folks from spending part of their day with us. we thank them for stopping by. >> i'm feeling bad, but not that bad for being on the couch. >> we were going to go outside. >> it's miserable out there. >> back inside studio 1-a. carl quintanilla in for lester holt alongside amy robach. >> casey anthony. >> she's accused of killing her

daughter, caylee. the judge will hear potentially damning evidence. what that is. >> reality cat fats. no matter what the show, the ladies from "real housewives," "mob wives," or "celebrity apprenti apprentice" are ready to rumble. what kind of message do they send? >> they have a little drink in their hand too. you notice the fuel it adds to that fire? all right. breakfast is the most important meal of the day. when you don't have time, we often grab a fast food option. but is your choice the right one? i'm guessing it's going to be no. here with us. it's not that option. we'll look forward to that every time. >> but first, let's get one more check of the weather with bill karins. bill, good morning. >> well, good morning, everyone. we had a new group of people out here. this is the champion right there. a little weather map there.

whose idea was the bunny ears. >> our teacher. >> a lot of bunny ears. all of the students wrapped around. they don't care about the rain. we'll talk about this forecast going through the day today and into your weekend. heavy rain is moving through new england. we've got severe weather to deal with today. watch out through kentucky down through arkansas, the little rock area. dallas late today with large hail. as we go to easter sunday, not a lot changes. unfortunately, that severe weather still stuck there from the dallas area up through tulsa, little rock, kentucky, we'll have to deal with flash flooding as we go through easter too. that will you see bill there in new york with some light rain showers, closer to home, we could see a little bit of heavy drizzle at times. u notice there on to the combination of cloud cover is not going to warm us up a whole lot.

50s to low 60s for highs today. we'll see a new extra showers for monday morning and clearing for tuesday. say prosecutors, was left by caylee's lifeless body, the odor of her decaying body, argued prosecutors, is what casey's own mother dialed when she called 911. >> it smells like there's a dead body in the damn car. >> the smell test will be ground

breaking. >> smell test has never been admit in the court of law in the united states. if the state admits it in this case, it's an automatic appeal option for the defense. >> attorney brad conway knows the intimate details of the case well because he once represented casey's parents. also detected in the car's trunk, chloroform -- it's believed that prosecutors will tell the jury casey used it as a knockout chemical on 2-year-old caylee to force her to sleep so she could go party. but the defense will argue with a expert witness, there's a logical explanation for the chloroform. >> caylee anthony went swimming on june 2, 2008 in the pool and that her mother put a wet bathing suit in the trunk of her car. >> numerous papers document exposure to swimmers to swimming pool attendants to life guards from chloroform and other related compounds that are present in the water and chlorinated swimming pools. >> so that would have been over 20 years ago that you last had

involvement in the analysis of an air sample? do i have that correct? >> yes. >> other evidence the judge will rule on next week to either accept or exclude -- can the hit cadaver dogs found in the family's back yard be admitted as evidence? can the plant roots found growing around caylee's remains be used to establish a timeline. caylee had been missing for six months when her body was found in the woods. and can a single strand of caylee's hair be used to show she was not only in the trunk, but was dead. >> and there's another issue -- seating a jury. this case has received as much attention here as the o.j. trial did nationwide. so the judge plans to leave orlando and go to other florida cities to find jurors and alternates and bring them back here. they'll be sequestered for up to eight weeks. for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news, orlando. and casey anthony's defense

team is asking the judge to ban cameras at the trial. but it appears likely that request will be denied. jury selection begins may 9. coming up next, duelling divas, reality tv and drama dr queen brawls. but first, these messageles. . [ male announcer ] last year, the ethan thompson band

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was the image on a screen that helped our doctor see my wife's cancer was treatable. [ male announcer ] ge technologies help doctors detect cancer early so they can save more lives. bringing better health to more people. ♪ no matter the setting, reality tv continues to draw many viewers and nothing sells like a cat fight. they can be funny and shocking. but is it an accurate portrayal. let's hope not. >> who doesn't love a good cat fight. always seems to be the women as well ready to rumble. a guilty pleasure for all of us to see ratings gold. while the guys are ready to mix it up, they're on hand to watch as it plays out. from "the real housewives". >> don't talk to me like this again. out of my house. you have the worst manners. >> to mob wiveses.

>> [ bleep ]. not leaving. >> reporter: women take center stage in popular reality shows where bad behavior is the main event. with name calling. >> you're a [ bleep ]. liar and a sneak, danielle. >> reporter: to full on acts of rage. >> [ bleep ]. >> reporter: these divas take no prisoners. >> what's what you -- >> are you jealous? >> reporter: reality tv has created a culture of cat fighting where women are portrayed as materialistic, vain, and downright mean. >> just leave me alone. >> reporter: on shows like "celebrity apprentice." ♪ money money money money >> reporter: where the goal is to raise money for charity, the ladies don't always play nice. >> i work my [ bleep ]. off while you sat there and -- >> no, no, no. >> let's calm down. calm down. >> i am calmed down. you calm down. >> reporter: even the donald

took notice. >> i've been watching this now for a number of weeks and the women started off negative to each other. they were really negative. the men's team was so solid. >> reporter: a negative that's a big ratings plus. ♪ why can't we be friends why can't we be friends ♪ >> the age-old question, amy, is reality tv reality or is it script? maybe a little bit of both according to the experts. back to you. >> we have some of the experts with us. for more, we're joined by tv guide's angela and robbie ludwig. good morning. we can all get along here. ridiculous. i want to start with you. specifically the housewives franchise. these fights are outrageous. how many are real. how many of them are kind of planned or script? >> they're not script in the sense that they hand them a script or put words in their mouth, per se. but they certainly enhance the experiences that they're in. we start with women who are not our average women.

they start with type-a people. they get it together. >> you have drinks in your hand can cause friction in any circumstance especially when the women are grandstanding. the more they scream and yell, the more attention they get. >> exactly. >> robbie, celebrity apprentice, they pit men against women. when they teamed up, the men kind of bond. they work together. women are fighting. what's one that? is there something about how women interact differently with each other. >> women want to connect on an intimate level and they want everybody to be the same. when one person starts to rise, that's when women get catty and say i'm going to bring you down. so you know who you really are. men are not like that. they admire people trying to aspire to be like certain people. but they don't bring other men down in the same kind of way. >> and in england, the bachelor and the bachelorette, you have a group of women vying for a man in one of them and a group of men vying for a woman. and it's a completely different experience between the two different shows.

>> it's two very different dynamics. with the women, they come across as desperate and love crazed and ready to rip each others extensions out for two minutes alone with the bachelor. the men, they develop a camaraderie out of the gate. they're drinking beer, having brmances, it's different. >> men don't interact on that intimate level. the conversation is about maintaining their independence. >> not emotionally invested. >> if you look at male friendships, it's usual law about what they're doing. it's an activity. women are not like that. we get involved in each other's personal lives. we want to connect on that intimate level. but the downside is, everything feels so personal. even if it isn't personal. and that's when, you know, aggression really comes out. >> and, robbie, what does it say about all of us that the ratings are so high, especially when we see the cat fights erupt? >> i think in part when you look at somebody fighting, it's fun. you're not going to fall asleep. you come alive when we see other

people arguing and aggression. and i think also there are charicatures of people who remind us in our own lives, the queen bee, the femme fatale, the dominatrix. and the voyeuristic aspect of us want to see how people operate to see how we fit in to the mix. superior, inferior, or just relating. >> the producers know that these types of situations and these types of eruptions are a rating boom or boost. >> they are landing on a formula here. they're sticking to it. it's evolved at this point to what pro wrestling has been for men for years where, yeah, you know, it's not quite real. but you tune in for the characters and the story line. >> is it women -- how they oar being perceived. >> not keeping too many of them up at night. >> no. >> as they go and cash their checks. >> right. >> robbie ludwig, $1 million later, i'm okay with that, right? >> yeah, we appreciate a good

conversation. coming up next, food that's fast and healthy. that's not it.

. today's "here's to your health" is brought to you by "it's not a bar, it's emerald breakfast on the go. energize your morning". this morning on "here's to your health," fast food breakfast. it might be tempting to hit up the drivethrough for a quick and easy morning meal. but it doesn't mean it has to be loaded with calories. here though tell us about healthier breakfast choices is the author of "eat this not that." this is my weak spot. you're on the road, you're in a hurry. something is bad for you, you don't have to eliminate it completely from your diet. >> you want to have breakfast. people who spent breakfast are

450% more likely to be overweight or obese. have breakfast. choose carefully, it's a minefield. >> this is the big breakfast. it's so big, they ought to serve it on a garbage can lid. this is over -- you know, this is 1300 calories and basically it's pancakes, it's biscuit, it's sausage, it's eggs. it ends up being the equivalent, if you eat it of these 70 rees mini peanut buttercups. >> more than a whole bag of rees. >> that is 66. this is 70. just to give you an idea. if you have this, hold the biscuit, the sausage, the panca pancakes, have the eggs. at mcdonald's, the much better option is to go with an egg mcmuffin and cheese and a hash brown. right there saving over 800 calories. >> what is it with the platters? >> this one is worse. this here is the fatter platter. it' exactly that, but in a whole -- >> you're a -- >> very good option.

this is 40 extra calories and you're getting more saturated fat, more transfat. it's the equivalent at 1300 calories of having a dozen bowls of fruit loops. >> even the syrup is the equivalent of a candy bar. >> almost two, actually. 32 grams of sugar right there. that's eight spoonfuls of sugar just in the syrup. get the croissant-wich. the main ingredient in the croissant? air. >> dunkin'. even coffee could be dangerous. >> not going to be running on it, you're going to be wobbling on dunkin' if you get this 700 calorie bagel with this sausage, egg, and cheese and this dunkiciccno. it's like water boarding. it's over 1,000 calories, equivalent to 15 eggs. if you get the wakeup wrap and a toasted almond coffee, the thing here is it's 315 calories total.

it' everything you need. protein, fiber, jump starts your metabolism, starts your day great and you save like 900 calories. >> starbucks here. the raspberry scones. real fruit, can't be that bad. >> the problem is it's 500 calories, mostly white flour, vegetable oil, heavy cream, and then you pair it with a -- with a white chocolate mocha and now you're at 970 calories. the equivalent of these 11 rice kris pooe treats if you do that. the berries in the scone do nothing. muffin was a word so you could eat more cake for breakfast. okay? same with scones. get the spinach wrap, 280 calories, six grams of fiber. 18 grams of protein. pair it with a nonfat cocoa cappuccino. do that every day, you lose a pound a week. >> finally, subway which some might argue is the healthiest in. >> no. you would think. but it's a health halo. >> you're debunking all kinds of

myths. >> this is the breakfast bmt. the salt mine and the fat farm are the two stops for this subway. you have 500 calories. >> when did henny youngman come in and do food. >> wake people up. so this is the equivalent of having basically 5 1/2 eggo waffles if you get this. three different types of meat. 500 calories, stay on the tracks with this from subway, the steak egg and cheese muffin. it ends up being 210 calories. it's plenty. you're saving 300 calories that's a pound every 11 days. >> you're in caroline's all week. >> i am. i am. >> we'll be back after this.

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like we told him? - i can't tell. - oh, honey! - he totally went to jared. female announcer: celebrate life's unforgettable moments with pandora, at jared. girls: awww... - they are so cute at that age. that does it for us on this saturday morning. thank you, bill karins as always. tomorrow on today's most expensive home ever sold in the u.s. plus the guy's guide to the royal wedding.

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new this morning, video from inside the storm, airline passengers inside the terminal, as an apparent tornado tears through a section of the st. louis international airport, lifting the roof off of a concourse, injuring passengers and forcing the airport